Panic in Spain as shocking video shows hundreds of migrants storming border fences
The two Spanish enclaves in North Africa have long been the source of enormous tensions between Madrid and Rabat.
Dramatic footage has shown the moment hundreds of migrants try to storm the border between Morocco and Spain, with police using water cannons to hold them back.
And a separate clip showed large numbers of riot police in the area in a clear indication of simmering tensions.
Moroccan security forces have thwarted several attempts by groups trying to cross into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta after a social media call for a mass migration effort, according to authorities.
Some individuals tried to breach a border fence that has historically been a hotspot for migration tensions, but none successfully entered Spain, the Spanish Interior Ministry reported on September 16.
The ministry added that joint Spanish and Moroccan security measures in recent days have effectively controlled the situation.
La Frontera de Ceuta es un polvorín, ¿qué espera el Gobierno para desplegar al ejercito? pic.twitter.com/c24XEHsYBQ
— David Santos (@davidsantosvlog) September 16, 2024
Recent online posts had urged people to travel to Ceuta on Sunday with the intention of crossing into Europe.
Local network videos captured groups of individuals in the hills near the Moroccan border town of Fnideq and showed a significant increase in Moroccan security measures, including helicopter patrols.
Moroccan authorities also arrested 60 people suspected of inciting the mass migration attempt through social media, as stated by the Moroccan intelligence agency DGSN in a Facebook post.
On Monday, numerous security personnel were stationed in the area.
Despite some individuals' efforts to cross the border, they were repelled by a strong security presence on both land and sea, according to activists.
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- Nuevo intento de salto a la frontera del #Tarajal con #Ceuta
— Ana Jiménez (@AnaJimenezTV) September 16, 2024
- La policía marroquí ha lanzado chorros de agua para disolver a algunos grupos de jóvenes escondidos en los montes.
-Es la 3 noche seguida de fuerte tensión en esta parte de la frontera marroquí. #Maroc #Migrants pic.twitter.com/2EKkSv0z1G
Achraf Mimoun, a Moroccan human rights activist, reported that many of those who gathered at the border on Sunday were Moroccans of all ages, including minorities, along with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Algeria, and other regions who had been waiting for a chance to enter Europe.
Mimoun noted that such social media campaigns are not new, and that there are underlying social and economic factors driving these large-scale attempts to breach the border.
He explained that families often encourage their children to migrate in hopes of better opportunities, driven by the success of some who acted on similar calls in the past.
Ceuta and Melilla, two small Spanish territories in North Africa bordering the Mediterranean, have long been targeted by migrants and refugees seeking a better life in Europe.
Many attempt to scale the barbed wire fences surrounding these enclaves or try to reach them by sea.
From January to early September, Moroccan security forces intercepted over 45,000 migration attempts nationwide, according to the Moroccan Interior Ministry.
In August alone, more than 11,000 attempts were made around Ceuta, and another 3,000 around Melilla, according to their statement.
Last month, thousands of migrants tried to enter Ceuta, including hundreds of young people who attempted to swim past controls, Spanish authorities reported.
